A joint paper by the French Competition Authority (Autorité de la concurrence) and the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) on data and competition, provides background on the approach to data likely to be taken by two of the most active competition authorities in the EU, a blog at Bird & Bird notes.

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has published draft guidelines on the implementation by regulators of new EU net neutrality rules and is seeking the views of stakeholders, with the consultation closing on 18 July.

Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has approved a regulation to ensure access to telecoms services and equipment for people with hearing, visual, motor and cognitive disabilities on an equal basis with others, both in urban and rural areas, notes Telecom Paper.

Navdeep Bains, Canada's minister of innovation, science and economic development, has upheld the decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to extend wholesale broadband regulation to fibre to the home.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information (MIIT) has granted a telecoms licence to China Broadcasting Network (CBN), creating a fourth player, but the move is unlikely to speed up broadcasting-telecoms network convergence in the country, reports Mobile World Live.

More InterMedia articles on Europe

Andrus Ansip (left), European commissioner leading the digital single market project team, and Günther Oettinger, commissioner for the digital economy and society, at the strategy launch in May.June 2015, Volume 43 Issue 02

The victory for net neutrality for pressure groups such as Credo owes much to President Obama. And a paper from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society finds that “the net neutrality debate is the first major example of a successful campaign to achieve an affirmative rule change in the teeth of well-organised lobbying opposition”.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

As more people, especially the less well off, have only a smartphone to accessthe internet, there are signs that a new type of digital divide could develop.Ofcom’s Alison Preston describes new research carried out in the UK

How can network operators and service providers settle value for their wares in a converged world, where services are network agnostic? sumit sharma presents a bargaining framework that could unite all players in a ‘game’April 2016, Volume 44 Issue 01

As the OECD prepares for a ministerial meeting on the digital economy, Jørgen Abild Andersen argues that the highest level of coordination among many government departments is needed to deliver its aims

Many countries are keen to foster policies that help develop world class ICT centres. To this end, GIUDITTA DE PRATO and DANIEL NEPELSKI describe a European project that maps and measures ICT ‘poles of excellence’.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

As regulators start to fundamentally review their remits, Chris Chapman, the incoming president of the IIC and chair of Australia’s ACMA, details the extent of digital disruption and possible regulatory response, in this two-part article.January 2016, Volume 43 Issue 04

Continuing our coverage of spectrum auctions, Stefan Zehle explores further the pitfalls and implications for the public purse, drawing on key examples from the past decade.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

The modern sharing economy is small but growing - and enabled by the internet. John Ure discusses its possible impact and where regulation may be heading, with particular reference to Asia.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

What is the status of international copyright reform in the digital age? TED SHAPIRO contrasts efforts at the World Intellectual Property Organisation with ongoing reform in the EU as part of the digital single market initiative.

Where cables land: a still from an impressive animation by Business Insider on submarine cables around the world, produced from TeleGeography's Submarine Cable Map, a free resource that allows data to be downloaded.September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03

Pai was appointed as a commissioner by Barack Obama in 2012. Among his views: “Given how rapidly the communications sector is changing, the FCC should do everything it can to ensure that its rules reflect the realities of the current marketplace and basic principles of economics.”

We got there in the end: The European Commission makes a big point about ‘roam like at home’, the end of mobile roaming charges in the European Union on 15 June, a ban that has taken ten years to negotiate.

Highlights of the review of Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive are explored by Lorna Woods. Changes in how video-sharing platforms are judged could have major global implications for service providers.July 2016, Volume 44 Issue 02

As more people, especially the less well off, have only a smartphone to access the internet, there are signs that a new type of digital divide could develop. Ofcom’s Alison Preston describes new research carried out in the UK.July 2016, Volume 44 Issue 02

The pressure on terrestrial broadcasters to give spectrum to the mobile sector shows no sign of letting up. Roland Beutler, at Germany's Südwestrundfunk, a regional public broadcaster, puts his side of the debate.September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03

The hype about the next generation of mobile technology is likely to gather pace in the next few years, but currently there is a lot of scepticism about whether it qualifies as an integrated, great leap in progress, as Marc Beishon finds in this round-upJuly 2016, Volume 44 Issue 02

Can broadcasting make the step into an increasingly mobile world? Roland Beutler discusses technology and business models in the context of public service remits, mobile network operators and the new world of 5G.October 2016, Volume 44 Issue 03

Regulatory Watch articles on Europe

France, Germany, Italy and Spain want digital multinationals like Amazon and Google to be taxed in Europe based on their revenues, rather than only on their profits, their finance ministers said in a joint letter, reports Reuters.

Companies must tell employees in advance if their work email accounts are being monitored without unduly infringing their privacy, the European Court of Human Rights said in a ruling on defining the scope of corporate email snooping, reports Reuters.

The Swiss Federal Council has adopted a partial revision of the Telecommunications Act (TCA), and the draft legislation will now be dealt with by parliament. The revision covers broadband services that are replacing traditional telecoms services and gives greater weight to consumer concerns, promotes competition and deregulation, and simplifies administration.

US tech giants are back in Europe’s spotlight, reports the Financial Times. Facebook and Google are both in the headlines over sanctions from European authorities, with Google kicking off its fight against a €2.4bn EU fine for abusing its market dominant position.

The European Commission has already issued a call for tenders to carry out a study on the cost of providing wholesale roaming services in the EU/EEA countries, soon after the 15 June 2017 rule on banning roaming charges for fair usage came into effect.

Denmark’s telecoms regulator, the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen), has published two documents outlining the framework for competition in the broadband market, with the new decisions set to enter into force on 17 November 2017, notes TeleGeography.

The Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) report for 2017 evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services by underserved people across 26 geographically, politically and economically diverse countries.

EU member states have rejected a European Commission proposal to extend licences for wireless radio spectrum to last at least 25 years – one of the cornerstones of the EU executive’s new attempt to overhaul telecoms law, reports Euractiv.

Fake news is a disease that European society needs to be “vaccinated” against, the EU’s digital commissioner Mariya Gabriel said as she opened a call for public comments on how the EU should respond to the spread of false information on internet platforms, reports Euractiv.

Those tempted to buy illicit TV access devices such as the fabled Kodi box may get their fingers burned, literally, says a report from Electrical Safety First and FACT, one of the UK’s intellectual property protection organisations.

Certain smartwatches for children can no longer be sold in Germany as some of these models are equipped with a “wiretapping” function, reports Deutsche Welle. Germany’s Federal Network Agency, or Bundesnetzagentur, announced the ban saying that these watches can be classed as ‘unauthorised transmitters’.

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